We had just won 11 in a row. A family record.We were first in on East Street. We were TEN CHILDREN ahead of Drew Jersey who was in second place.We were first in our sub-division, 25 yards ahead of our nearest house.And were FIRST in the USA with 82 lawn decorations. We were first in the USA in junk mail received. And first in a bunch of other team and family stats.

We had just won 11 in a row. A family record.We were first in on East Street. We were TEN CHILDREN ahead of Drew Jersey who was in second place.We were first in our sub-division, 25 yards ahead of our nearest house.And were FIRST in the USA with 82 lawn decorations. We were first in the USA in junk mail received. And first in a bunch of other team and family stats.

Mother’s side: The Mayflower. My material grandmother was a genealogist, and my material grandparents were members of The Mayflower Society. IIRC, I am a direct descendant of Myles Standish. I’ve never gotten around to joining, but I’m eligible to join both The Mayflower Society and the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, as I also have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Father’s side: All of my paternal great-grandparents were immigrants from parts of Europe that over the years have been Prussia, Germany, and Poland. They came to the United States in the late 1800s. My paternal grandmother’s father, in particular, was abandoned as a child by his father after his mother died. He worked as a servant for a wealthy family in Germany until his late teens, when he stowed away on a cattle ship that was headed to the United States. The night the ship docked in Boston harbor, he jumped over the side and swam to shore. (Yes, great-grandpa Shyster was an illegal immigrant.) I believe he was 17 at the time. He walked around Boston until he found other people speaking German, and when he asked them where he could get work, they steered him to Utica, New York, where a lot of German/Polish immigrants were going to work in the city’s textile and tool-and-die mills.

All my relatives arrived here between the 1880's and 1900 or so.My mom's grandparents all came here from Ireland. On her dad's side they arrives in Oil city in the 1880's. On her mom's side they came to Sharon,Pa in 1900.They had about 8 kids; one of their sons also had 8 kids and one of his kids(my mom's cousin) had 16 kids. I'm distantly related to a lot of micks in western pa,eastern Ohio.My Dad's parents came from Austro-Hungary.One of my great grandads was Czech;he came here by himself and worked in the deep Anthracite coal mines near Tower City,Pa. He stayed here some years before sending for his wife and two sons. He sent money to bring relatives here over about an 8 year period. My grandad told me that my great grandad likely had a 2nd wife and kids here and that wasn't uncommon among immigrant guys that were alone here. He went back to Europe and when he came back he was refused entry due to black lung . He tried to swim ashore from Ellis Island (also not uncommon I'm told) but was caught and deported.

My other great grandad was a character from birth. His godfather showed up drunk at his baptism and gave the priest the wrong name for his baptismal certificate. He used that wrong name his entire life;I'm not sure what his family's real last name was.He was a Hussar(light calvary) in what I think was the Prussian Army. He later was a bodyguard for a church bishop who was really evil. The guy travelled to villages,took their money,had sex with their wives and abused his power.This great grandad refused to have anything to do with the church after that. Before coming to the U.S. he was also a constable/bounty hunter who tracked down escaped convicts. My dad said he was scary guy.My grandma was one of his kids that was born here;my grandad came on a boat with his mom and brother;they all lived in Duquesne. I'm really proud at how tough these people were in those days.My Grandma as a young girl helped her mom(a midwife) deliver babies.She became a nurse at 17 and worked during the Spanish Flu epidemic. She also worked at a hospital that handled the nearby steel mill injuries. Her second day on the job she assisted a doctor amputating a worker's mangled arm. He was Russian and didn't speak English.She had to tell him his arm had to be removed and the doctor left the severed arm with her to dispose of.My grandad went to work at a glassplant at the age of 11. He changed jobs to a McKeesport steel mill when he was 13 because it paid more.Way too much info but I'm really fascinated by the lives people lived here in the early 1900's.

Shyster wrote:Mother’s side: The Mayflower. My material grandmother was a genealogist, and my material grandparents were members of The Mayflower Society. IIRC, I am a direct descendant of Myles Standish. I’ve never gotten around to joining, but I’m eligible to join both The Mayflower Society and the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, as I also have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War.

I, too, could join Daughters of the American Revolution, I believe. Just never got around to checking out the requirements and proof needed and all that.

Shyster wrote:Mother’s side: The Mayflower. My material grandmother was a genealogist, and my material grandparents were members of The Mayflower Society. IIRC, I am a direct descendant of Myles Standish. I’ve never gotten around to joining, but I’m eligible to join both The Mayflower Society and the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, as I also have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War.

I, too, could join Daughters of the American Revolution, I believe. Just never got around to checking out the requirements and proof needed and all that.

My grandma on dad's side is a member of DAR. Does this mean I am a descendant of a revolutionary War soldier?

mac5155 wrote:My grandma on dad's side is a member of DAR. Does this mean I am a descendant of a revolutionary War soldier?

Probably but not necessarily. Membership in the DAR and the SAR is open to the lineal descendants of people who supported the Revolution. In addition to soldiers who served with the Continental Army, Continental Navy, or state militias, membership in the DAR or SAR is also open to the descendants of:

- Signers of the Declaration of Independence.- Members of the Continental Congress.- Civilians who provided arms or supplies to the American cause.- People who served on political bodies supporting the Revolution, signed oaths of allegiance, or gave similar support to the cause.- Soldiers and sailors from allied nations like France and Spain who fought in support of American independence.

Either way, as membership requires than an applicant prove his or her descent, your grandmother (and therefore also you) is a lineal descendant of someone who falls into one of those classes. That’s the only way your grandmother would have become a DAR member.

I just registered for a free trial for Ancestry.com to rediscover my family tree, but I know my direct ancestor was credited with a huge role during the Battle of Agincourt with 1405, helping save Henry V's life from French soldiers. I'll try and post it.

Do you need to trace your bloodlines to Lenin or Trotsky to get that card?

James Monroe is descended from James Stewart IV, King of Scotland and his wife Margaret Tudor. From James Stewart, James Monroe is descended from the kings of Scotland while from Margaret Tudor he is descended from Charlemagne, William "the Conqueror", and other kings of England.

Do you need to trace your bloodlines to Lenin or Trotsky to get that card?

James Monroe is descended from James Stewart IV, King of Scotland and his wife Margaret Tudor. From James Stewart, James Monroe is descended from the kings of Scotland while from Margaret Tudor he is descended from Charlemagne, William "the Conqueror", and other kings of England.

Dad's was Quebec City and Lithuania. The Lithuanian folks came over around 190-something in the middle of dubyadubyaUno when the country lines there were uncertain; got their name shortened at Ellis. Both sides settled in Worcester, MA. Had to sell apples on the corner during the Depression. Those were tough times.

shafnutz05 wrote:I just registered for a free trial for Ancestry.com to rediscover my family tree, but I know my direct ancestor was credited with a huge role during the Battle of Agincourt with 1405, helping save Henry V's life from French soldiers. I'll try and post it.

(and when we came here)

That is a tough Site to use. While you might get lucky with census records and stuff, it only works if there was someone that uploaded the info before you.